facebook group: It's too # cold, Canadians for global warming.

This is interesting. The Obama birth certificate issue is still in play: http://blogs.forbes.com/trailwatch/2008/11/obamas-birth--1.html Comments are especially interesting.

Thanks for the Dylan, Vit. I love that song. Now you got me going, I'm off to bed to the strains of my favourite Dylan album - Infidels.

Best chuckle of the day:

Dealbreaker.com refers to the plethora of announcements south of the border as "Obama's Superfriends".

A really good point Vitruvius, one that produces some really interesting answers.

"Thus, when you judge someone, it is legitimate to ask, who are they serving? All I ask is that you sincerely try to avoid pre-judging, that's just stupid (except in emergencies, of course)."

As an exercise some years ago, I asked several friends and aquaintances two questions. 1. Do you believe there is a God? 2. Do you believe there is a Devil?

Very interesting answers. Lots of "Yup, there's a God, but very few that thought the Devil existed.

I could see that all changing big-time ... and maybe that was the "change" he was on about ...

Fascinating question - does evil independently exist, or is it merely the absence of good?

An informal survey of an eclectic group of thoughtful friends indicates a preponderance of the conviction that evil independently exists.

One of the better political essays I've read recently:

"I'm still searching for the mythical creature that is the "financially conservative, socially liberal" politician. In virtually every case, the pro-abortion or pro-gay marriage politician is the first to vote against a tax cut, the first to vote for more spending and quick to compromise principles on any issue there is.

Using the National Journal's ratings of Senators in 2007 , the correlation coefficient between "economic" scores and "social" scores is 90%. That means they almost always go together; financial conservatives are social conservatives and vice versa. Every Senator scoring above 60 in economic issues, scored above 50 in social ones. Every Senator scoring below 40 in economic issues, scored below 50 in social ones. If there is such an animal as a "financial conservative, social liberal", it does not exist in the US Senate."

http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/11/a_libertarian_defense_of_socia.html

It is not possible to be socially liberal and fiscally conservative. Now we have the data to prove it. Remember, when you see someone describe themselves as socially liberal, they want to seize your assets. And it need not be said that the overwhelming majority of anti-free speech activism comes from the social liberals who want to use the state to muzzle social, which is to say fiscal, conservatives.

Joseph Ben Ami has a good post on this subject too:

"High spending and high taxes, failing schools, a shortage of doctors and nurses, human rights commissions run amok, family breakdown, the assault on community standards…the list goes on and on. These problems are not isolated from one another; they are symptoms of a government colossus that has become so bloated and so all-powerful that it literally cannot help but interfere in the smallest of decisions that we make on behalf of ourselves and our families, often with disastrous consequences."

josephbenami.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=64&Itemid=34

So, to recap, a social liberal is a fiscal liberal, a tax and spend liberal. If you are not a social conservative, you are not a fiscal conservative.

Merry Christmas!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTuuFQPdz7s&feature=related

Merry Christmas!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTuuFQPdz7s&feature=related

Piqued by Kate's post about the machinations over at the CHRC, I browsed over to take a look at their site. In and amongst the verbiage, there is a listing, in the interests of government accoutability etc, of the temp help contracts placed with the CHRC for the four years leading up to and includinf 2007. Oddly, no 2008 values...

They placed >$521,000 in 34 temp placement contracts in 2007 alone including one that's 561 days in duration! expiring in 09 for $80,167.

I hope they'll post 2008 figures in due course.

Can someone attest that such figures/value amounts are normal for a such an entity as the CHRC?

Well, Elf, here's a Christmas message of a different sort:

Osama Christmas

Research shows: 9 out of 10 laboratory rats prefer 9 out of 10 dogmas.
The latest from "timeshighereducation".
...-

"Nine out of ten dogmas

Frank Furedi on the assumptions, agendas and distinctly iffy data behind those ubiquitous words, 'research shows'

As someone devoted to academic research, I feel increasingly embarrassed when I encounter the words "research shows" in a newspaper article."
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=26&storycode=404397&c=1

Research shows: "plunges" and "falls" = "gain most" + "soar past".
...-

"Confidence plunges on Prairies Canoe.ca
Confidence falls The Gazette (Montreal"
...-

"Canada September Retail Sales Gain Most in Eight Months on Cars
Bloomberg - 41 minutes ago
By Alexandre Deslongchamps Nov. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Canadian retail sales in September advanced the most in eight months as new car dealers recorded an increase for the first time since January.
Retail sales soar past expectations ReportonBusiness.com"
...-

Pre-judgment is part of a process to make a decision. Judgment is a harsh word, just made one. It is used by some to intimidate others into giving up an argument.
Who wants to by judgmental?
Everyone makes decisions every minute, hour, day. Could be said they make judgment about things based on experience and so on.
Those really are decisions for every day life.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/decision

the act or process of deciding; determination, as of a question or doubt, by making a judgment: They must make a decision between these two contestants.

Caroline Glick, Will the real Bush finally stand up?

US President George W. Bush has six weeks left in power. If he acts fast, that may be enough time to secure his place in history - at least in terms of the Middle East.

Bush's initial reactions to the Sept. 11 attacks were a rare display of political and intellectual courage. Gazing at the rubble of the World Trade Center, Bush recognized that the primary failure of US policy towards the Arab and Islamic world until that day was found in the predisposition of his predecessors to slavishly maintain a Faustian bargain with tyrannical Arab regimes in the interest of maintaining "stability." That bargain committed the US to providing military assistance and political backing to authoritarian regimes throughout the Arab and Islamic world in exchange for cheap oil for the West.

What Sept. 11 showed Bush was that the "stability" the US had purchased was an illusion. As the US propped up dictators, their subjects fumed under the chains of state terror and economic privation. For millions of frustrated young men, the only outlet for resistance open to them is the mosque. There they are indoctrinated in the ways of jihad and mobilized to fight for Islamic global domination...

Big financial troubles in Quebec.
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is in some difficulty; it deals with the public pension system
From the blog report titled Caisse Has Lost Billions- "In short, the Caisse was playing the market instead of acting as a conservative repository of member savings. Now it has to pay up by selling its assets."
How will this affect the election?
More at :- http://mesopotamiawest.blogspot.com/2008/11/caisse-has-lost-billions.html

Peter Brookes, Why the World Still Needs America's Military Might

While it might be true that American power has peaked in a comprehensive way, certainly in relative terms, especially with the rise of China, Russia, India, and Brazil, I would suggest that American power, particularly its military dominance, might be sorely missed in the years to come if America is indeed on the wane--a refrain, I'll remind you, that we've heard before.

For those who may greet a decline in American power with glee, I admonish you: Be careful what you wish for. You'll be sorry when it's gone. Let's conjure up for a moment what a world without American mil­itary power might look like...

Ben Lieberman, The True Costs of EPA Global Warming Regulation

The EPA's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) is nothing less than the most costly, compli­cated, and unworkable regulatory scheme ever pro­posed. Under ANPR, nearly every product, business, and building that uses fossil fuels could face require­ments that border on the impossible. The overall cost of this agenda would likely exceed that of the legisla­tion rejected by Congress, reaching well into the tril­lions of dollars while destroying millions of jobs in the manufacturing sector...

Isn't it time to be voting for Best Canadian Blogs?

Yes indeed! Any blog that quotes Bob Dylan is alright in my book.
Pat - The devil, as always, is in the details.

NYSlimes and Yvo agree: Kyoto/AGW is a dead dog.

"“Yes things have changed,” said Yvo de Boer,".
...-

"Slump May Limit Moves on Clean Energy

Just as the world seemed poised to combat global warming more aggressively, the economic slump and plunging prices of coal and oil are upending plans to wean businesses and consumers from fossil fuel.

From Italy to China, the threat to jobs, profits and government tax revenues posed by the financial crisis has cast doubt on commitments to cap emissions or phase out polluting factories.

Automakers, especially Detroit’s Big Three, face collapsing sales, threatening their plans to invest heavily in more fuel-efficient cars. And with gas prices now around $2 a gallon in the United States, struggling consumers may be less inclined than they once were to trade in their gas-guzzling models in any case.

President-elect Barack Obama and the European Union have vowed to stick to commitments to cap emissions of carbon dioxide and invest in new green technologies, arguing that government action could stimulate the economy and create new jobs in producing sustainable energy.

But as the United Nations prepares to gather the world’s environment ministers in Poznan, Poland, next week to try to agree on a new treaty to reduce emissions, both the political will and the economic underpinnings for a much more assertive strategy appear shakier than they did even a few weeks ago.

“Yes things have changed,” said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in a phone interview. He is organizing the meeting in Poland."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2138101/posts

Did anyone see Mike Duffy Live on Monday? There was a panel discussing finance, deficits, PM Harper, etc. The "panel" consisted of John Mcallum (Liberal) and Ralphie Goodale (Liberal). I guess it's Canada's version of Fox's "fair and balanced"!

Thanks, Vitruvius, for the Dylan number.

I remember when it came out--in 1979, I think it was, on "Slow Train Coming." This album was largely Christian, a phase Dylan seemed to go through, and I was deeply moved by it, seeing as I had recently reclaimed my faith and most of my non-faith-raised friends thought I'd lost my mind!!

Both Dylan and Van Morrison put out albums with overtly Christian lyrics and then seemed to drift off on other trajectories. It can't be easy nurturing a Christian faith when you're surrounded by new-age, atheistic, hedonistic, we're-#-1, maroons.

I still pray for these guys. I wonder if it's one of these backup singers who became his second wife ... ?

Thanks, Vitruvius, for the Dylan number.

I remember when it came out--in 1979, I think it was, on "Slow Train Coming." This album was largely Christian, a phase Dylan seemed to go through, and I was deeply moved by it, seeing as I had recently reclaimed my faith and most of my non-faith-raised friends thought I'd lost my mind!!

Both Dylan and Van Morrison put out albums with overtly Christian lyrics and then seemed to drift off on other trajectories. It can't be easy nurturing a Christian faith when you're surrounded by new-age, atheistic, hedonistic, we're-#-1, maroons.

I still pray for these guys. I wonder if it's one of these backup singers who became his second wife ... ?

Start the combines and tractors!
We attack at dawn to take over the US midwest and Northwest!
Ok I'm just kidding.

But the headline at www.Drudge.com really is
'Russian analyst predicts decline and breakup of the USA'.

Apparently at a conference in Australia in 1998 when everything was hunky dory in the USA economy, this Russian professor Igor Panarin predicted that the USA economy and nation would disintergrate from a huge debt load. He estimated at the time that a $2 trillion debt load would do it, whereas it is presently over $10 trillion.
(No mention was made as what Igor smokes)

He also predicted it would be into 6 parts, the Pacific coast, the South, Texas (they're always in the independence mode), the Atlantic coast, the southern midwest, and the northern plains states 'where the influence from Canada is strong'.

So, calling all Cascadians....
Here's your chance.

I'm imagining the world without the UN and the HRCs ... what a great Christmas THAT would be! ;-)

" Just as the world seemed poised to combat global warming more aggressively, the economic slump and plunging prices of coal and oil are upending plans to wean businesses and consumers from fossil fuel."

Perhaps there are dots to connect here.

- The markets are months ahead of the game. (That is why they are called futures markets)

- The world started to enjoy comfortable living standards with the advent of fossil fuels. Efficient, concentrated energy.

- If Kyotoism is enforced upon them, the economies of the world foresaw plunging activity and growth rates because of higher energy costs. More expensive, much more expensive alternative energy is a killer.

- Drilling bans in first world countries resulted in massive transfers of wealth to second and third world countries - where there are no drilling bans.

- 'Isn't it our duty to bring about this industrial economy collapse ' Maurice Strong

Ironic that the greens may have brought about the economic poor times that will piss off the people enough that they clamor for the good old days of prosperity. (And move on to the latest and greatest Cult du Jour :)

Oh the irony of this headline at Canoe News.........

"CBC complains about 'distorted attacks'"

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/MediaNews/2008/11/25/7530291-cp.html

Oh the irony of this headline at Canoe News.........

"CBC complains about 'distorted attacks'"

Hmmm for reasons unexplained, trolls are allowed to post links here but not I.......

Go to the canoeDOT ca site for the story.

Fred on the Voice of Sanity thread:
"Socialism always collapses from internal greed".
...-

"Zimbabwe on brink of collapse as outbreak of cholera spreads
guardian.co.uk, UK - 18 hours ago
The situation in Zimbabwe may soon "implode" as a cholera outbreak spreads and basic services collapse, South African leaders and a group of international ..."
...-

"Food Crisis Expands In Tumultuous Zimbabwe
NPR - 15 hours ago
... Zimbabwean miracle — the regional grain basket — until they were occupied by Mugabe allies, and many farmers and workers were driven from their lands. ..."

The anti-blasphemy of Mohammad law has been bassed by the UN. The next bill up is punishment by beheading. Welcome to the 7th century.

From Canada.com:

UNITED NATIONS - Islamic countries Monday won United Nations backing for an anti-blasphemy measure Canada and other Western critics say risks being used to limit freedom of speech.

Combating Defamation of Religions passed 85-50 with 42 abstentions in a key UN General Assembly committee, and will enter into the international record after an expected rubber stamp by the plenary later in the year.

................

Do you think Obama will back it?

Our Enemy, The State, The Snoopornographer.
...-

"Social services 'set up CCTV camera in couple's bedroom'

Social workers set up a CCTV camera in the bedroom of a couple with learning difficulties in order to monitor their behaviour, a new report claims.

Council staff are said to have spied on the young parents at night as part of a plan to see if they were fit to look after their baby, who was sleeping in another room.

The mother and father were forced to cite the Human Rights Act, which protects the right to a private life, before the social services team backed down and agreed to switch off the surveillance camera while they were in bed together.

The case is highlighted in a new dossier of human rights abuses carried out against vulnerable and elderly adults in nursing homes and hospitals across Britain.

It comes just days after the Government admitted town halls have gone too far in using anti-terror laws to snoop on members of the public."
http://tinyurl.com/64rbxb (telegraphuk)

http://tinyurl.com/6jhg6r
No fund raising for 'White' people's disease at Carleton U. Cystic fibrosis not "inclusive" enough for fundraiser. Cystic fibrosis "has been recently revealed to only affect white people, and primarily men" said the motion read to student councilors, who voted almost unanimously in favor of it.

"A new satellite predicts at least 23 years of global cooling"

(cdapress.com)

Several Canadian environmental scientists agree that the new Jason satellite indicates at least a 23-year cycle of global cooling ahead. Count me in!

This oceanographic satellite shows a much larger than normal persistent Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). Cooler PDO phases usually last 21 to 25 years, so we should be quite chilly as a planet until at least 2030, maybe longer

Bulletin from CBC News: Peter, ...
CBC: The Access to Information Act is not disappearing.
CBC's "executive spending" is being "distorted", CBC claims.
And now, back to our regular programming.

Sorry for that interruption, David. Tell us more 'bout AGW and your Foundation's efforts to ...
...-

"CBC complains about 'distorted attacks'

A private sector media competitor is using the Access to Information Act to target the CBC with “distorted attacks” on its executive spending, claims the chairman of the public broadcaster’s board of directors" (nnw)

New York Honors Che Guevara with a Statue

On Friday November 21st, while strolling through Central Park's Doris C. Freedman Plaza, Commentary Magazine's online editor Abe Greenwald noticed a statue and did a double take. "Is that...Che Guevara?"

Indeed! There was no mistaking it: a statue of "El Che" by German artist, Christian Jankowski.

...

Most New Yorkers seem unaware that but for the grace of God thousands of them would have been Che's victims too.

"If the missiles had remained (in Cuba),We would have used them against the very heart of the U.S., including New York City. The victory of Socialism is well worth millions of atomic victims."
- Ernesto 'Che" Guevara, November 1962.

http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/11/new_york_honors_che_guevara_wi.html

...whistling past the graveyard...

Infrastructure spending "will be a key component of our future success," Flaherty told a conference on public-private partnerships, and a "key component" of his government's planned economic stimulus. Although ideological conservatives may worry about burdening future generations with unsustainable debt, real Conservatives are now committed to spending their way out of recession.

And nobody is cheering louder than the crowd that brought us collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps. With the market for such innovative products seized up worse than a rusty Ford, government has become the only source of cheap credit for anything. Ergo, everybody loves infrastructure. Well-dressed converts flocked to Mr. Flaherty's speech yesterday like contrite sinners to a revival meeting.

"Praise the Lord and get those shovels in the ground."

Even Torstar loves them. And why not?

'Nother cut to the arts.
It's Stravinsky, Nijinsky and Dhiagelev's fault.
...-

"Ballet BC lays off 38 staff and announces a reorganization
Georgia Straight - 2 hours ago
By Charlie Smith Ballet BC’s board has given pink slips to 38 dancers, administrative, artistic, and contract staff. In a news conference this morning, Ballet BC president Graeme Barrit said this decision was not taken lightly, and that the dance"

Infrastructure spending

How come its the job of the heavy equipment operators and cement finishers to pull the economy out of its doldrums?

Joe,do you mean instead of bankers?

The infrastructure is crumbling. Ontario got way behind during the Rae daze...he preferred to have people (operators and finishers) stay home and collect welfare.
This plan makes sense.

Sheila: The "panel" consisted of John Mcallum (Liberal) and Ralphie Goodale (Liberal). I guess it's Canada's version of Fox's "fair and balanced"!

Yes, I saw this also. What was worse is that they both were busy quoting their new "guru" Kevin Page (the budget officer) as though he was God the Father. Their comments suggested blatant partisanship on the part of Page -- either he was misquoted or he is a Liberal hack -- quite possible, since he has been in the bureaucracy for a while.

Yeah: CTV and CBC, pretty much all Liberal all the time. Blatant cheerleaders for a team that's going nowhere fast.

Gag.